Saturday, 22 November 2025

A Pocket Guide to the Mass - Michael Dubruiel

A Pocket Guide to the Mass  
Michael Dubruiel
ISBN 9781592762934
eISBN 9781612781860
ASIN B007R61N1A

A Pocket Guide to the Mass - Michael Dubruiel

After reading Dr Hahn’s A Pocket Guide to St. Paul from OSV I have been able to track down all but one in the series. I have been jumping around reading them. I have read books by Patrick before, and looked forward to working through this volume. Both the physical edition and eBook of this book appear to still be in print. This is an excellent little read.

The description of this volume states:

“Get the most out of the Mass... A Pocket Guide to the Mass walks you through the biblical basis of prayers, the meaning behind gestures, and a brief overview of the spirituality that brings Catholics together for the Eucharist each week.

Reenergize your time at Mass or help those who are new or returning to the Church with this quick and insightful overview. Rediscover the fullness of the Mass today!”

The chapters and sections in this booklet are:

Introduction
What Is the Mass?
A Prayer to Say before Mass
The Parts of the Mass
     Introductory Rites
     The Liturgy of the Word
     The Liturgy of the Eucharist
     Concluding Rites
A Prayer to Say after Mass
Meditation
The Emmaus Story: Encountering the Risen Christ at Mass
Notes

About the author we are informed:

“Born in Keene, NH. Michael Dubruiel had a Master's in Theology as well as an MA in Christian Spirituality.

He was the author of several books including "The How-To Book of the Mass," published by Our Sunday Visitor and still in print. 

Michael Dubruiel passed away on February 3, 2009.”

I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume, some of them are:

“In a book written before his election as Pope I Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote of the dangers of the Mass losing its moorings—as the worship of God. He compared the present situation to that of the people of Israel, who in the desert, waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain, found God to be distant and aloof, leading them to conceive a ritual that was a celebration of the community alone.”

“This little book is meant to help you to experience that liberation—that freedom—from distress that comes when we forget that there is a God and that our very existence has everything to do with worshipping Him.”

“Jesus Christ, on the night before he died, celebrated the Jewish Passover meal with his disciples at the Last Supper. In the course of the meal, He gave new meaning to the ritual, declaring the bread that He blessed, broke, and gave to His disciples to be His Body, and the cup filled with wine to be His Blood that was of the New Covenant.”

“The prayers used at Mass have developed over the Church’s history. Many of them are taken directly from the Bible, and one prayer, the Creed, comes from several early Church councils (worldwide gatherings of bishops to discuss Church matters).”

“The Mass makes present the one sacrifice of Jesus on the cross at Calvary. All who participate in the Mass join their spiritual sacrifices to the one sacrifice of Christ, and through Him, they are offered to God the Father through the action of the Holy Spirit.”

“The English word homily comes from the Greek homilia, which simply means “discourse”—but in the Christian context, it came to mean a commentary on the Scriptures with the goal of explaining both the literal meaning of the texts and bringing out the spiritual meaning of them for us today.”

I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. There are not as many quotes as other volumes because much of the book was looking at the specific rubrics of the mass. This little volume is a great resource. It is an excellent volume that any Catholic or any Christian could benefit from reading. And it would be a great supplement to an RCIA program.

This is the one of two volumes in the series I believe that is still in print. It is a pity because the whole series is excellent. I have been able to track down and read 7 of the 8 volumes. The final I cannot find a copy that will ship to Canada for a reasonable price, or one in my budget. This is a great book in an excellent series. I encourage you to give this great volume a try.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan

Our Sunday Visitor Pocket Guide Series

Books by 
Michael's Dubruiel:
John Paul II's Biblical Way of the Cross - with Amy Welborn
A Pocket Guide to Confession - 2009 Review
A Pocket Guide to Confession - 2025 Review
A Pocket Guide to the Mass
The How-to Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
The Church's Most Powerful Novenas
How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist
Praying the Rosary: With the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries - with Amy Welborn
The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life
Praying the Rosary: With the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, & Glorious Mysteries - with Amy Welborn
Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Fulton J. Sheen
...

Books in the OSV Pocket Guide Series:
A Pocket Guide to Living the Divine Mercy - George W. Kosicki 
...

Books in the Handy Little Series from OSV:
The Handy Little Guide to Adoration - Michelle Jones Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to Confession - Michelle Jones Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to the Holy Spirit - Michelle Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to the Lent - Michelle Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to Novenas - Allison Gingras
The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours - Barb Szyszkiewicz

Handy Little Guides - Our Sunday Visitor

Books in the OSV Companion in Faith Series:
For Those Who Grieve - Jeannie Ewing
Living in Peace - Father Jeffrey Kirby
The Beatitudes - Kathleen M Basi
The Lord's Prayer - T.J. Burdick
The Power of Forgiveness - Patrice Fagnant-Macarthur

Companion in Faith Series Our Sunday Visitor


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